A Sandwich a Day: The Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger at Native Foods Cafe

Editor's Note: In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year--so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around the Windy City. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know!

[Photograph: Dennis Lee]

I try my best to avoid repeating restaurants when I do A Sandwich a Day, but sometimes it's hard for me not to play favorites. Ever since I tried Native Foods Cafe back in January, I've been fascinated by this place. I mean, they make fake chicken taste, well, like chicken! But can they make a bacon cheeseburger taste like a bacon cheeseburger using seitan?

The answer is no—but the sandwich itself is still flavorful. I am admittedly not the biggest fan of seitan, which is why I challenged myself to order it. The seitan is thin and soft, and the smoked tempeh "bacon" tastes like smoked jerky, not bacon. It comes topped with a bevy of lettuce, carrots, onion, tomato, barbecue sauce, cheese (which had a rubbery texture), and their vegan ranch dressing. The pleasant surprise of fried pickles on the side as a garnish made my lousy workday just a little bit better.

Native Foods Cafe

About the author: After a failed attempt at starting a chain of theme restaurants called "Smellen Keller," Dennis Lee traveled the world to discover his true passion. Sadly, midwifery didn't pan out. Now he works in a cubicle, and screws around as much as possible. Follow his shenanigans on Twitter.